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25 October 2008

I just wanted to talk about the Pens in the past couple games before they take on the first place Rangers tonight. I usually hate how Michel Therrian switched lines up, but I think for now, these combinations are working, and working well. I still think we have the two line threat, I still think we have the shutdown line, and I still think teams are afraid of our offensive firepower. Ever since that terrible third period against the Capitals and a series of tough practices that followed, we have been a different team. I believe our mainstay is Marc-Andre Fleury. He sprained his ankle just as he started a hot streak last year and upon return, he looked incredibly sharp and impressive. Everyone was still questioning his ability, then cam the playoffs where he was incredible. I will admit, I was curious to see if he could continue it this season and he has not only succeeded, but exceeded my expectations. As for Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, Anytime they are on the ice, any team we play is scared out of their shorts. Do you blame them? I mean they are, im my opinion, the two best forwards in the league and they are on the same line. The man that feels the luckiest is Pascal Dupuis. What a speedster, that is the main reason he is on there. This is a huge career step for him. I couldn't imagine playing in the NHL, but to be able to play in the NHL alongside two superstars would be a blessing for sure. I feel also that our defense needs alot of support. They are playing out of their minds considering we lost our top two in Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney, and now, Hal Gill with an undisclosed injury. What a management we have that we can still compete without these guys. I think another key to our defense is our forwards. Therrian has instilled that defensive mindedness into our forwards and it is finally paying dividends. We are a pretty good team right now, imagine when we get our players back. I can't wait! Let's Go Pens!

(Oct. 10) - Clara Meadmore, who celebrates her 105th birthday Saturday, says she knows the secret to a long life: no sex.

The retired secretary, who lives in a nursing home in Cornwall, southwestern Britain, says she is a virgin and has no regrets about it, according to reports in British newspapers.

"I've always had lots of platonic friendships with men but never felt the need to go further than that or marry," The Telegraph quoted her as saying.

Meadmore said she had turned down several marriage proposals, but she made up her mind when she was 12 that she would never marry.

"People have asked whether I am a homosexual and the answer is no. I have just never been interested in or fancied having sex," the Daily Mail quoted her as saying.

"I imagine there is a lot of hassle involved and I have always been busy doing other things," she said. "When I was a girl you only had sex with your husband -- and I never married."

Meadmore was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1903 -– two years after the death of Queen Victoria. She remembers the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. When she was 7, her family moved first to Egypt, then to Canada and New Zealand. She returned to Britain when she was in her 20s and eventually settled in Cornwall, according to the newspaper reports.

"I grew up in an era where little girls were to be seen and not heard so I had to learn to stand up for myself and earn my own living," said Meadmore, who still has her own hair and teeth. "Some men don't like that in a woman and before long I was too old to marry anyway."

She plans to celebrate her 105th birthday with a party at the Perran Bay nursing home, where she lives in Perranporth, Cornwall. Queen Elizabeth II sent her a birthday card.

Meadmore said she would probably have a glass of wine to celebrate but not more. "I'm hardly likely to get drunk and do something silly at my age," she said.

First of all, long life, in my opinion, is not worth celibacy. Period. I am glad I am where I am at and glad how I got here, but I don't think that this is the answer to long life. I may not know much, but I do know that sex is a form of exercise that I actually like doing.

Has anyone see the classic,"The Great Outdoors?" where John Candy's conquering of the great 96er was impressive, yes, but this guy practically did the same thing. That was a movie, this is real life!Behold the Beer Barrel Belly Bruiser. It's a 15-pound burger that weighed in at 20.2 pounds when the bun and all the toppings were added. Denny's Beer Barrel Pub in Clearfield, Pa., offered a prize to anyone who could down the behemoth in under five hours. Brad Sciullo decided he was up to the task.Sciullo, 21, of Uniontown, Pa., is shown chowing down on Monday. "I wanted to see if I could," said Sciullo, who is 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds. The burger's toppings included lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, onions, mild banana peppers and a cup each of mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard and relish, pub owner Dennis Liegey said.

All gone! Sciullo shows off the empty plate after finishing the monster meal in four hours and 39 minutes. He won $400, three T-shirts and a certificate. He probably won't be in a hurry to order another hamburger anytime soon.(Source: AP)

22 October 2008

So, here is my newest installation all about what I will call my favorite band of the week. This weeks band is called 3OH!3. You can click on the band name for a full bio, but as for this blog, I will give you the quick down and dirty. This is a Denver based group that has an electronic/hip-hop type of sound. Now, this is not a typical band I usually review, but you need to listen to the lyrics. They are kinda addictive. The key song I want you to listen to is "Don't Trust Me". If you are going to go look for their albums, here are their covers so you know what to look for.

There is a player on the bottom here with a couple songs from the band so you can have a hearsee. Also, here is a link to some lyrics, so you can see if you like their message as well. Basically, I am telling all of you to check out this band and let me know what you think!

This weeks game is the biggest of the year thus far. I am so excited to show the rest of the league that we are where we are for a reason. It is two 5-1 teams clashing that could very well be a preview of the post season. It is also a battle of 2004 draft picks Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning. There was alot of talk this week of who is the better quarterback. Roethlisberger owns that statistical lead in almost every category, but Manning won the Superbowl last year. This schmuck from FoxSports must have missed the last few season, because he like s Eli over Ben. Crazy, huh? It looks like we are getting Willie Parker back. I think this is a great thing, due to Miwelde Moore's performance the last couple weeks, we have a runningback 1-2 punch. This helps Ben this week with the balanced team of the Giants. We will also will have Troy Polomalu even after his latest concussion. With the Woodley-Harrison duo coming after Eli and the tough secondary chasing down Plaxico Burress, I think it will be a hard fought, but great game. Burress is coming back to Pittsburgh after leaving us before the Superbowl season of 2005. He left us for the money. We apparently did not need him. Like I was saying before, I see a big victory on the horizon and I am excited.Steelers 25 - Giants 21

19 October 2008

Sidney Crosby registered the NHL’s first ever milestone hat trick. The Penguins captain recorded his 100th goal, 200th assist and 300th point on three successive goals in Pittsburgh’s 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

“It’s not what you play for but they’re a great accomplishment,” Crosby said. “That’s basically it. I’m proud of that but at the same time I’m still looking at getting better. I don’t want to stop there.”

Crosby, who finished the game with one goal and three assists, entered the season needing one goal to reach 100. The milestone hanged over him for five games, so hitting all three marks in one game was a welcomed relief.

“It’s probably good to get it all over with,” Crosby said. “Gino (Evgeni Malkin) got his 200th tonight; sharing with someone feels good.”

That would be the 200th assist of Malkin’s career. He notched four assists against Toronto and has recorded seven points (1G-6A) in the past two games.

It is no surprise that Crosby and Malkin had instant success after being reunited on a line. With arguably the two best players in the world on the same line, they’re bound to get some goals.

“It’s definitely fun to play with him,” Crosby said. “It’s a great opportunity. He’s a great hockey player. Every game we’re not going to have huge nights but at least we can create opportunities. When we’re together we know that we have to produce.”

Therrien reunited the duo – along with winger Pascal Dupuis – to send a message to the team. Pittsburgh scored only one five-on-five goal in the four previous games – and that goal came from the fourth line. In an attempt to generate more offensive production, Therrien put Crosby and Malkin together.

So, what did Therrien the two players before the game?

“Mike said, ‘Score, I need (a) win, score,’” Malkin said.

“They certainly had a great game, not a good game; I thought they had a great game,” Therrien said about the first line. “They responded exactly the way I was expecting. They were excited to play together. They responded on the ice the right way.”

Crosby welcomed the offensive outburst. He entered the game with four points in five games, unusual for a player who averages 1.38 career points per game coming into the season. All four points of the 2008-09 campaign were assists, giving Crosby the longest goal-scoring drought to start a season of his career.

That drought ended when Crosby bounced the puck into the goal off of a Toronto player. Malkin sent the puck towards the net and Crosby got around his defenseman. Curtis Joseph ventured out to poke check the puck away. Crosby beat him to the puck and and redirected it behind the net. With Joseph caught wandering, Crosby threw the puck towards the slot and it caromed off of Maple Leafs forward Mikhail Grabovski and into the net.

“Just throwing it out front,” Crosby said of the play. “You throw it to the net and good things happen. I got a great bounce.”

Crosby hit a milestone on each of the Penguins first three goals. Crosby set up the first goal – a backhander by Dupuis – with a nice cross-crease pass for his 200th career assist. Then he threw a bullet pass through the legs of Maple Leafs defenseman Luke Schenn to Miroslav Satan, who redirected it into the net for a power play goal. That assist gave Crosby 300-career points. Crosby followed that with his 100th goal. For an encore, he hit Petr Sykora on a backdoor pass that gave him his fourth point of the night.

“I don’t expect four-point nights but I definitely wanted to score,” Crosby said. “I thought I was doing some good things and the puck just wasn’t going in. Sometimes you need a lucky one like that. It was definitely welcomed.”

This really puts it perspective on how blessed Craig Patrick ended up getting that lucky pick and drafted Sidney Crosby first overall. He is an amazing player and will continue to bring success to our team. Let's Go Pens!

Ok, that was a lousy first five games. We didn't look anything like we should have. However, in our defense, we lost our top two defenders and have to have a small adjustment period. Also, this is only the first five. Don't fret, we will do better. Oh, and thank God for Marc-Andre Fleury!

Game 6The Maple Leafs are currently last in their division and not much more is expected from then, should be an easy win.

Game 7

The Bruins look to have a pretty good defense this year as well as picked up a couple players. They seem to always have our number so we will see how the Pens respond.

Game 8We get to see the Staal brothers going at it again.

Game 9This should be a good game due to the playoffs last year as well as the hot start by the Rangers.

Game 10The Sharks have also started off pretty hot, it would be nice to cool them off in the West.

Well, when all the commentators said that this should be another bye week for the Steelers playing an 0-6 Bengals team, they were right. Cincinnati is now officially 0-7. What is interesting about this record is that the only 18 times since 1991 has a team started 0-7, the Bengals have 5 of them. Ben Roethlisberger is officially 11-0 in his home state of Ohio since joining the Steelers. Miwelde Moore got the surprise start and capitalized with 20 carries, 120 yards and 2 TDs on the ground. He also caught a 2 yd TD pass in the game. The thing I am most proud of is the sacks. We sacked Fitzpatrick 7 times today and looked really good. We have the top tandem of sackers in the league with James Harrison and Lamarr Woodley. I am excited for next weeks game against the Giants. We didn't start Casey Hampton or Willie Parker like I originally believed. We are playing really well with half our lineup in there, imagine how we will be when healthy.

16 October 2008

Looks like another bye week right? You would look at the records and think so, but the Bengals always try to show up against us. However, you have to take into consideration Ben Roethlisberger's record in Ohio, He hasn't lost since high school. We are healed up, Casey Hampton and Willie Parker are back, which means alot for our team. Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward are due for breakout games after Ben's 309 yards performance in Jacksonville two weeks ago. We will see if Hines will still be able to play his game due to the recent incessant fines. These fines even brought Troy Polomalu out of his quiet dimeanor to make a statement. I see this week as a week to show we deserve the #3 on the ESPN Power Poll. I see an easy victory, but it might be time for a statement game before we take on the reigning Super Bowl champs. As always, I would love to see a blowout. I like the matchup as always, but like I said earlier, this should be won easily by the Steelers.Steelers 31 - Bengals 13

14 October 2008

The Pens offense gets a boost tonight when Peter Sykora makes his season debut. Makes me wonder where they are going to put energetic Tyler Kennedy.

Penguins Report: Tuesday, October 14

Sam Kasan Pittsburgh Penguins

> Right winger Petr Sykora will make his season debut Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Flyers.

“He’s going to play,” said head coach Michel Therrien following the morning skate. “He feels comfortable to play. That’s his call. We’re more than happy to have him back in the lineup”

Sykora will skate on a line with Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal. The tandem worked all training camp together until an illness and groin injury sidelined Sykora for nearly two weeks.

“It’s always been a good chemistry with Malkin,” Therrien said. “Hopefully, we’ll find them clicking right away.”

Sykora's presence could inject some scoring power for a team that hasn’t scored an even-strength goal in two games.

“(Sykora) seems to find that goal-scoring touch at the right time,” Staal said. “Hopefully, he can come through for us (Tuesday).”

> The Penguins have shuffled all of their lines for Tuesday's match-up with Philadelphia. Sidney Crosby has been reunited with Pascal Dupuis. It should be a smooth transition since the two played a majority of last season together following his acquisition from the Atlanta Thrashers.

“I know what (Crosby’s) going to do,” Dupuis said. “I played with him in preseason. The only game I didn’t play with him was in Europe. I’ll play my game, do my role. That’s what they want me to do.”

Dupuis started training camp on Crosby’s line along with Miroslav Satan, but was replaced by Ruslan Fedotenko. Dupuis was re-paired with Crosby late in New Jersey’s 2-1 overtime win on Saturday.

Sykora’s return will push Tyler Kennedy to the third line, with Fedotenko and Max Talbot.

“Obviously, TK’s (Tyler Kennedy) turbo is ready to go,” Talbot said. “He had a great start of the year. He’s been battling really hard. He worked out hard this summer. I’m pretty excited he’s a part of the line (Tuesday).”

> He said it: Michel Therrien on the passing of New York Rangers’ Alexei Cherepanov.

“I’m thinking more about the family more than anything. Those young athletes, their family is proud of their son. They wish them the best. They put a lot of sacrifice as parents, as brother and sister. Your first thought is the family.

“The hockey side is way behind as far as I’m concerned. It's sad news for everyone involved. It’s sad for our game too, losing a young man. We heard a lot of good things. He was supposed to be a great player. It’s just a sad day.”

1.Name the oldest building still standing in Pittsburgh.Answer:Block House in Point State Park

2.Which Pittsburgher became a celebrity when she beat by eight days the 80-day around-the-world journey by Jules Verne's fictional hero Phileas Fogg?Answer:Nellie Bly

3.There are sculptures of a reptile on the George Westinghouse Memorial fountain in Schenley Park. What is it, how many are there, and why are they part of the memorial?Answer:12 turtles. Why? Because Turtle Creek Valley was the location of his two main businesses: Westinghouse Electric Corp. (Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. at the time) and Westinghouse Air Brake Co. Any answer referencing his businesses in Turtle Creek was accepted.Bonus:Name the sculptor who did this bronze and what other more famous sculpture did he create in the nation's capital?Bonus answer:Daniel Chester French, the Lincoln Memorial

4.Where is Andy Warhol buried and what has been mysteriously left on his grave every month since he died on Feb. 22, 1987?Answer:St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cemetery, Bethel Park. Can of tomato soup and pocketful of change

5.What is the last line on the plaque on an Oakland sidewalk that marks the spot where Bill Mazeroski's homer cleared the wall of Forbes Field in game seven of the 1960 World Series?Answer:Yankees by a score of 10-9.

6.Where is the cloud factory and who named it that?Answer:Junction Hollow behind Carnegie Museum; Michael Chabon in "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh"

7.Name the first automobile tunnel built in the country.Answer:Liberty Tunnel

8.This had its beginnings as a trolley park in the 1890s to promote streetcar ridership.Answer:Kennywood Park

9.The floors of this Pittsburgh building are the exact size of an acre.Answer:U.S. Steel Tower, Downtown

10.Whose picture is on Henry Clay Frick's personal checks and why?Answer:His daughter Martha, who died as a small child. He was devastated over her death.

11.What event in the city was heard by Adm. Richard E. Byrd's Expedition in Antarctica in 1929. What is significant about this?Answer:Easter Sunday service of Shadyside Presbyterian Church broadcast by the nation's first radio station, KDKA

12.What Pittsburgh company made the television camera that brought us the images of Neil Armstrong taking the first steps on the moon in 1969?Answer:Westinghouse

13.The original bricks from Duquesne Gardens are now part of the walls of what Oakland restaurant?Answer:Duranti'sBonus:What was the name of Pittsburgh's first hockey team?Answer:Pirates

14.Whose ashes are buried in Allegheny Observatory?Answer:All of the above. James E. Keeler, first director of the original Allegheny Observatory who discovered that Saturn's rings were not solid but made of particles; his wife Cora Matthews Keller and his 25-year-old son, Henry. Also lens maker John Brashear and his wife, Phoebe.

15.Before the H.J. Heinz Co. turned on its famous neon ketchup bottle sign on its (now former. North Side headquarters in 1995, there had been another sign on the roof of the building that was installed at the turn of the 20th century. What was it?Answer:The number 572 bonus questions:How long does it take the ketchup bottle (now on the side of the Sen. John Heinz History Center. to fill up the Heinz logo each time? If the 17-foot bottle was real, how many gallons of ketchup would it hold?Answer:30 seconds refill and 800 gallons

16.Name the mystery writer who lived on Pittsburgh's North Side and coined the phrase "The butler did it!"Answer:Mary Roberts Rinehart

17.Where is the tallest fountain in America?Answer:Fountain at the Point had been referenced in recent PG articles as being the tallest (maybe at the time it was built in the 1950s), but our clever readers found that the tallest fountain in America now is the Gateway Geyser at 630 feet on the Mississippi in East St. Louis, directly across from the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. Many readers also referenced Fountain Hills, Ariz., which has a fountain that reaches 562 feet. This question and bonus question are thrown out.Bonus:Where does the water come from?Answer:(for the Point fountain) The water comes from a subterranean river course that flowed from a glacier that covered much of the northern part of North America some 70,000 years ago, 54 feet below the surface.

18.What's the farthest south that Stephen Foster ever got in his life?Answer:New Orleans

19.How many of August Wilson's plays of his epic Pittsburgh cycle were set in the Hill District?Answer:9 of the 10 plays of his epic Pittsburgh Cycle. "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" was set in Chicago.Bonus:What did his family call him in his early years?Answer:Freddy. He was born Frederick August Kittel on April 27, 1945.

20.What pediatrician on staff at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine during the 1950s became a household name?Answer:Pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Spock. Many people answered Dr. Jonas Salk, who discovered the polio vaccine. Salk was considered an immunologist and virologist, although Time magazine in its Top 100 -- the most important people of the 20th century -- called Salk a microbiologist.

21.The first street railway in the city, built in 1859, went to what community?Answer:Lawrenceville

22.Where is the Christopher A. Smith Walking Trail and what can you see from it?Answer:The Christopher A. Smith Walking Trail, named for a former Pittsburgh city councilman, goes around the perimeter of Herron Hill reservoir in the Hill District; a magnificent 360-panorama of the city of Pittsburgh.

23.How much did the first ride cost on the Ferris Wheel built by Pittsburgher George Ferris?Answer:50 cents at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893Bonus: It was built to outshine what structure?Answer: Eiffel Tower, the centerpiece of the 1889 Paris exhibition

24.How did Charles Dickens arrive in Pittsburgh in 1842?Answer:Canal boat

25.When was the first attempt made to merge Pittsburgh and Allegheny and when did the two cities actually merge?Answer:1853-54 and 1907

26.Which former Pennsylvania governor was born in Munhall?Answer:Tom Ridge in 1945

27.The immaculate reception made by Franco Harris was deflected from a pass intended for what Steeler?Answer:John "Frenchy" Fuqua is the answer we were looking for, which most respondents gave, including the winner of the quiz. Those who found their answer on the Web's Wikipedia may have answered Barry Pearson. Coach Chuck Noll called a pass play intended for receiver Pearson, an NFL rookie playing in his first game, but quarterback Terry Bradshaw could not find him on the field and he threw the pass toward Fuqua. Although this was a stretch, both answers were accepted.

28.Name four Pittsburghers who have gone into space.Answer:James Irwin, Jay Apt, Mike Fincke and Terry Hart

29.Duke Ellington's signature song was the jazz classic "Take the A Train." Who wrote it?Answer:Billy Strayhorn

30.The beginnings of what major movie studio had its roots in Western Pennsylvania?Answer:Warner Brothers Studios (New Castle)

31.What indispensable part of Lawrence Welk's television show was invented in Pittsburgh?Answer:The bubble machine

32.The St. Patrick's Day flood of 1936 crested at what level?Answer:46.4 feet

34.Name at least two buildings named for the Pittsburgh mayor who led Renaissance I.Answer:Any two of these: David L. Lawrence Convention Center; David Lawrence Hall on Pitt campus; Lawrence Hall at Point Park University; Lawrence Hall in the Governor's Quad of Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

35.What's the name of the river excursion boat considered the largest river pleasure boat in the world in 1947 that exploded next to the Mon Wharf, killing 19 people.Answer: Island Queen

36.Although it's more folklore than truth, name the famous comedian who reportedly proposed to his wife in the William Penn Hotel?Answer:Bob Hope

37. The first stagecoach service between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia in 1804 took how many days?Answer:6 days

38.In what town did Fred Rogers first create "Misterogers"(sic.?Answer: TorontoBonus:Who knitted his sweater that is now in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and what color is it?Answer:His mother, red

39.What style of cooking a steak, listed on some menus across the country, is said to have originated with local steelworkers cooking meat on hot metal at the mills?Answer:Pittsburgh rare, or black and blue

40.How much money did Andrew Carnegie give away in his lifetime?Answer:$350 million

41.Who came up with the phrase "One for the Thumb?"Answer: Jack Wolf of O'Hara in spring 1980. He said he woke up one morning in the spring of 1980 and the phrase "One For the Thumb in '81" popped into his head. He partnered with five friends to market the slogan and eventually Joe Greene became the official spokesman for the campaign. Most readers answered this question incorrectly with Joe Greene or Myron Cope.

42.What was the name of the first elephant on display at the original Highland Park Zoo when it opened?Answer:Gusky

43.This dance instructor and entertainer who met his future wife when he lived on Kensington Street was the original boy next door that spurred the song "The Boy Next Door" sung by Judy Garland in "Meet Me in St. Louis."Answer:Fred Kelly, Gene Kelly's brother, who married his next-door childhood sweetheart Dorothy Greenwalt

44.Pirates fans have used what to place a hex on opponents.Answer:Green WeenieBonus:Who came up with the gimmick?Answer:Bob Prince

45.How many families were displaced in the Great Fire of 1845?Answer:2,000. This question also is thrown out as different historical accounts gave different numbers.

46.This former Los Angeles cop based most of his best-selling crime novels and real-life accounts in California, England and Philadelphia but he was born in East Pittsburgh.Answer:Joseph Wambaugh

47.How many smokestacks were preserved from the former Homestead Works?Answer:12

48.The first small field trial to test Jonas Salk's polio vaccine was held at what school?Answer: Arsenal Elementary in Lawrenceville

49.The name of this tiny street in Pittsburgh's East End honors Andrew Carnegie's birthplace. What's the name and where is it?Answer:Streets called Dunfermline, Carnegie's birthplace in Scotland, are in Point Breeze and Homewood. Either place accepted.

50.What fast-food icon was invented in Uniontown and by whom?Answer:Big Mac by Jim "MJ" Delligatti

Sources for answers: "Pittsburgh Born Pittsburgh Bred," by C. Prentiss Orr, Abby Mendelson and Tripp Clarke for the Heinz History Center; "Points in Time: Building a Life in Western Pennsylvania" by Paul Roberts; "Pittsburgh The Story of An American City" by Stefan Lorant; Center for American Music, Smithsonian Natural Museum of American History; Western Pennsylvania History quarterly magazine by the Sen. John Heinz History Center (Fall 2007); The New York Times, Web sources, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette stories and Post-Gazette research.

By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-GazetteAn upscale hotel will be the first major development spawned by the $290 million arena that will be the new home of the Penguins.

The team is expected to announce a deal today with Horizon Properties Group to build a 130- to 150-room hotel on Centre Avenue next to the arena.

It will mark the team's first bid to fulfill the development potential associated with the arena project, which is being built with annual contributions from the city's casino (now under construction), state development funds backed by slot machine revenues and Penguins contributions.

An upscale hotel will be the first major development spawned by the $290 million arena that will be the new home of the Penguins.

The team is expected to announce a deal today with Horizon Properties Group to build a 130- to 150-room hotel on Centre Avenue next to the arena.

It will mark the team's first bid to fulfill the development potential associated with the arena project, which is being built with annual contributions from the city's casino (now under construction), state development funds backed by slot machine revenues and Penguins contributions.

In dissection protest, teen's name is now Cutout Dissection.comCopyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

ASHEVILLE, North Carolina (AP) -- You can call her Cutout Dissection.com, or Cutout for short, but just don't call her Jennifer. The former Jennifer Thornburg -- whose driver's license now reads Dissection.com, Cutout -- wanted to do something to protest animal dissections in schools. The 19-year-old's new name is also the Web address for an anti-dissection page of the site for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, where she is interning."I normally do have to repeat my name several times when I am introducing myself to someone new," she told The Asheville Citizen-Times. "Once they find out what my name is, they want to know more about what the Web site is about."The Asheville High School graduate, who is working in Virginia, said she began opposing dissections in middle school after a class assignment to cut up a chicken wing made her uncomfortable. She helped create a policy at her high school that allows students who object to dissections to complete an alternative assignment.Despite her legally changing the name, she said most of her family members still call her Jennifer."It will take me a while," said her dad, Duane Thornburg, who lives in Daytona Beach, Florida. "She's still Jennifer to me. I understand why she's done it. Believe it or not, I totally respect it."A CD showing the treatment of animals before they are dissected finally convinced him to support his daughter's cause, he said.

I understand standing up for what you believe in and all, but this is ridiculous. You have to support your child, but there is a time that you need to let her know that this is permanent and there are other ways to protest. This could cause permanent problems in job hunting in the future. People will not take her seriously. Then again, it would catch my eye.

12 October 2008

We raised some new banners in the Mellon Arena the other night. We also added our Eastern Conference Championship banner as well as several new ones depicting our past scoring champions and MVPs. I like the changes, but we should have waited till the end of our championship run this year!

09 October 2008

The Detroit Redwings are the Russians and the Pittsburgh Penguins are the United States hockey team from the 1980 Winter Olympics. The Wings are a very good and very old team and the Penguins are a very good and very young team. The commentators and analysts automatically believe that the Redwings will win the Stanley Cup once again and the Penguins may come in a distant second or third. Last time the Penguins faced the Wings, they were defeated quite handily in six games just like the game before the olympics where the United States lost 10-3. Little do the Wings know that it will all come to pass again. The Wings will look unbeatable, and most teams will think they are, until they face the Penguins again. The Wings will think that they have it made and have it in the bag, but the Penguins will not lose to this team twice. The Penguins will hoist the Stanley Cup this year as the United States clutched the gold medal. The cup will be back in Pittsburgh this year!

So, the personnel aren't exactly the same types, but the circumstances are. Now, I didn't pick the Wings to go to the finals again, but that was more or less because I don't want them to be successful. I believe certain teams have won enough Stanley Cups. It is our turn again and we are hungrier than anyone else.

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